


Fate Hates Me

by orphan_account



Category: Sherlock (TV), Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/F, F/M, I genderbent all the people, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-01-01
Updated: 2012-11-02
Packaged: 2017-11-17 07:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/548985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Castiel meet Sherlock and John in High School. Shenanigans ensue. Sherlock, Moriarty, and Lucifer are female. Because of reasons.<br/>This fic is going to be orphaned and possibly remain unfinished. I apologize to any readers, I simply don't have the confidence to reread this, much less finish it. Future readers should look elsewhere.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One: The Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Rating: T for cursing and adult situations  
> Warning: Femlock. High school AU. Mix of Supernatural and Sherlock.  
> I'm new to AO3. I appreciate constructive criticism always but if you're rude there's no chance of me listening. This has already been posted (through chapter four) on fanfiction.net and I will continue to post it on both sites, as I don't want to force people to use one site or the other.  
> 

    **Introduction**  


* * *

 

    Dean didn’t understand how he’d gotten here. A Winchester attending private school. _Dean_ Winchester attending private school. It must have been his mom’s new boyfriend. Not that she would fess up. But she’d definitely not gotten all that new (and expensive) jewelry from Dad. Dean was pretty sure they still weren’t talking, after the divorce. Whatever, he reminded himself that he didn’t care and refocused on the road.

    He didn’t want to go but when he’d tried to back out, after getting a look at the lame-assed uniform, his mother had sternly (actually it had been rather frightening) told him that if he had to not only attend, but pass every class, or she would personally scrap the Impala. So he sucked it up. How hard could it be?

* * *

    Grueling. Every. Minute. And it was only lunch. Baby was the only thing keeping him going. Dean couldn’t stand to see her up on cement blocks, rusting away in some scrap yard, like so many forgotten junkers. But he hadn’t understood any of his first class. Apparently, he’d been enrolled in the wrong science class, something he’d only figured out when the teacher glared down the length of his rather prominent nose and demanded _exactly_ what he had taken for the last two years of his high school career. After answering, he was promptly informed that _most_ of the juniors in _this_ school were prepared for the advanced class, so it was _obvious_ why the schedule had been confused. Suppressing a strong urge to knock the guy’s teeth out, Dean had left the room.

    Yet the day had only gotten worse. Dean trudged into the cafeteria, reeling over the hard core lecture about work ethic he’d been given by his counselor, yanked a tray from the aesthetically arranged stack and filled it with the least girly foods he could find. He was so wrapped up in his own problems he almost knocked over a slim boy headed the other way.

    “Sorry.” He muttered, and began to continue on, before he caught the kid’s eye. Something about him reminded him oddly of Sam.

    “It was my fault, I wasn’t really paying attention.” The boy’s eyes were two large blue orbs shining with sincerity. Dean instantly decided he liked him.

    “Uh…no problem.” Dean tried to seem offhand, but something about the dude was flustering his calm demeanor. Maybe it was because he was the first student he’d seen all day without a perfectly arranged tie and collar. He resisted the urge to reach over and fix it. Looking the boy up and down Dean spotted his slightly upturned lunch. “Where are you headed? Are there more tables?”

    “Ah. No, but I like to sit outside,” he mumbled, avoiding Dean’s eye.

    “Sounds great to me, mind if I come with?” scarcely waiting for a response, Dean fell into step with him; glad to avoid all the obviously upper-class teens. “What’s your name?”

    “Castiel…” the boy responded uncertainly, eyeing Dean warily, as if he was afraid Dean would pounce on him and devour him whole.

    Dean smiled warmly and clasped his hand, carefully balancing his lunch, “I’m Dean. How long have you been going to the prestigious Kripke Academy?” Dean emphasized his sarcasm about the school with grandiose hand movements, but by the look on his face, Castiel was missing the joke.

    “This is my third year.”

    “Junior too, huh? You like it?”

    Hesitating for a short but telling moment, Castiel murmured, “Yes, it is a very capable establishment.”  
    “Filled with pompous jackasses, as far as I can tell. I’ve only been here a day but I’ve never been scoffed at more in my whole life, and that’s including days hanging out with my brother. Dead boring too. What do people even do for fun around here?”  
    “I am not sure.”  
    Dean peaked over at Castiel’s face, wondering if he’d insulted him with his comment. It’d been a long day and he was pretty sure some of his inhibitions had been left in his classes.  
    “Ah, Cas, I didn’t mean to insult you, I don’t mean that you’re a snob.”  
    “It’s Castiel. And most of my family attends here,” Castiel replied tersely, somehow pulling off the puffed up kitten look.  
    “Really? Where are they then, while you eat lunch alone?” Maybe he was a pompous jackass. He ticked Dean off. When he was answered only by silence, Dean picked himself up and sauntered off, his first attempt at some kind of ally in this hellhole of a school shot down. Guess he wouldn’t be chatting with Cas again anytime soon.  
  
(Text conversation between Dean and Sam)  
Dean: I fucking hate this school. I’m leaving.  
Sam: No ur not. Mom was not j/king about the Impala  
Dean: EVERYONE AT THIS SCHOOL IS A JACKASS  
Sam: Have u met evry1 @ school? Srsly. Dean. Stop txting ur 8th grader brother 4 help and deal w it  
Dean: Bitch  
Sam: Jerk

* * *

    Fate obviously loved to prove him wrong. Dean concentrated on the worksheet set in front of him, attempting to override the awkward silence between him and his partner with the power of thought, earnestly attempting the warm-up.  
     “I apologize for what I said earlier. I must admit, my relations are snobbish assbutts.”  
     Dean turned to Castiel, who appeared to be inspecting the ceiling for faults; by the way his eyes had turned heavenward.  
     “Assbutts?” Dean questioned, chuckling, “Okay, Cas, apology accepted. Now let’s get this warm-up done. Ms. Gamble is giving us the stink eye.”


	2. The Hangover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean attempts to find his friend after a raucous night of...things. Sticky and mysterious things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, these are posted on fanfiction as well, and this one was up there for ages before it made its way here. Sherly is introduced in this chapter. As are the nemeses

            School almost became bearable to Dean. He finally figured out why Cas reminded him of Sammy. They both had huge, liquid fucking puppy dog eyes. He couldn’t stand it. Dean found himself more and more concerned about Cas getting hurt. He’d never felt as protective of anyone outside his blood family. Despite appearances, however, Cas could handle himself. At least in a fist fight. After one sparring match with him, Dean decided to avoid future physical confrontation with the deceivingly slight boy.

            Once his schedule was corrected, Dean had chemistry, gym, English and math with Cas, ensuring not only class time but study time as well. And Dean studied. Hard. He didn’t want to lose the Impala (not that he minded spending time with Cas, either).

            Of course, just when things started to go well, Dean was faced with the fact that Fate obviously hated him. Dean had managed to foster enough connections in school and the surrounding area to get an invite to a party, from some chick named Lucille, kegger provided. He decided to reward himself for his hard work and dragged Cas along, deciding the kid needed a break just as badly.  After a couple of rounds, everything became a blur…

* * *

            Dean woke up with a buzzing headache and nausea to boot. His mouth tasted like it was coated in sand-hold up, it _was_ coated in sand. He was next to a lake in the middle of nowhere. Dean groaned and sat up. Whatever he was wearing was rubbing against his skin, ill-fitting and unfamiliar....He looked down to realize the only article of clothing he was wearing was Cas’s trench coat.

            “What the hell?” he said to no one in particular. Mostly because no one was around. Something was wrong about that. Dean rubbed at his temples groaning with the effort it took to figure out. Cas. Dean bolted up, frantically searching for his wingman.

            “Cas! Cas!” The only response was an eerie echo from across the lake. Shit. He quickly dug in his pocket for his phone. Dean called Cas a dozen times, all except one going to his annoyingly adorable voicemail. The only one that went through was garbled and quickly disconnected. Dean calmly decided that it was time to freak the fuck out. He did what he normally did in these types of situations, and texted his younger brother.

  
 _Sam? Have you seen Cas…anywhere?-DW_  
 _i thought he was w/ u-SW_  
 _Well. I have his jacket. But I can’t find him -DW_  
 _Dean, i covered 4 u w mom, u better noe where he went-SW_  
 _I’ll find him, I swear, I’m as freaked as you are. And you’re not helping-DW_  
 _Welp u need 2 call the cops-SW_  
 _They’re no help. Not to mention I do not want to try to explain this to the fuzz-DW_  
 _Dean im sure theyve run into drunk teens b4-SW_  
 _Sam I woke up naked-DW_  
 _O god-SW_  
 _And I can’t remember last night-DW_  
 _This is starting 2 sound 2 much like a Ke$ha song-SW_  
 _I think there’s some girl at school that can help. She found someone’s lost necklace in a goose or something-DW_  
 _U want 2 hire some amateur detective from ur high school instead of the actual cops when ur best, and only, friend is missing?-SW_  
 _I was only wearing his coat, Sam-DW_  
 _Tell me how it goes-SW_  
  
            Dean’s face was flushed after admitting to his 13 year old brother the uncomfortable position he’d found himself in. He was sore all over and really didn’t want to know why. However, Dean was sure Cas would never forgive him if he ended up stranded on some rooftop wearing nothing but his underwear, like that god-awful movie he’d seen.

            “Dammit.” Time to gather what was left of his pride and seek out the most hated person in school for help.

* * *

 

            Breathing a sigh of resignation, Dean opened the doors, confident he’d win over the outcast crime junkie. He tried to step in suavely and make a good impression, but ended up stumbling. He managed to swing awkwardly into his normal gait, hands digging into his pockets.

            Sitting alone in the lab was a girl with long, dark, curls splayed over the back of her lab coat. She leaned over the table, peering intently into a microscope. Dean stepped across the room, hesitant in an unfamiliar environment. The squeak of his school-approved loafers seemed oddly loud in the quiet atmosphere.

            “I, uh....” he cleared his throat, still thick with the whatever of the night before.       

            “Drugs or alcohol?”

            The chick’s voice surprised Dean. A shocking majority of the academy’s students were British, but Dean had never encountered any of them who didn’t use what he could only think of, thanks to Sam, as a “Malfoy drawl”. Yet this Brit in front of him only sounded mildly curious, and the pitch was actually quite pleasing.

            “Are you going to stand around all day or are you going to answer the question?” Now she seemed irritated, and Dean realized his thoughts had wandered away with him.

            “Alcohol, only, I think. How d’you know?”

            “Your voice, your steps, your odor, and the simple fact that you came to me for help. I take it you lost something?”

            “Someone, my friend Cas”

            “When did you last see her?”

            “Him. And last I remember, at the party...I managed get through to his phone once, but it got cut off.” Finally the girl moved away from the table and turned to Dean. He tried not to let his shock show. He’d expected an awkward, out of touch lab rat. Yet the chick facing him was a babe. Her eyebrows had drawn slightly together in an expression of intense thought.

            “You don’t remember then?” strangely, her mouth quirked up at the corners. “Interesting. So where did you wake up? And please tell me that you didn’t destroy all the evidence by stomping around the scene.”

            “Well, I could take you there; I don’t know what it’s actually called-”

            Sherly locked her sky blue eyes on him. She mentally checked things off. Average height. Strong build. Bow legged, as his pace had suggested.  Reasonably attractive physical features. Panicked. Trying to hide it. Middle class. No paid job. Smelled like a party. Not for the first time, Sherly cursed the school’s rigid dress requirements for robbing her of a more in-depth analysis. Raising an eyebrow, she scoffed.

            “What?” he said, startling Sherly. She realized that the boy had been talking the whole time.

            “I’m sorry, you were saying?” she answered, rather insincerely. Dean rolled his eyes and turned his head like an aggravated cat.

            “I said, whose car are we gonna take? Mine was gone when I woke up. I think it’s still at wherever the party was.”

            “We’ll borrow John’s. But you will have to drive; I don’t have a license for the U.S.”  She pulled the keys out of her pocket and handed them to Dean.

            “If you don’t have a license why’d the dude lend you his keys?”

            “I borrowed them and made a copy, for a situation such as this.” Dean looked at the girl and raised an eyebrow. He didn’t know whether he should be indignant for John’s sake or respect her for pulling it off.

            “Dude must like you if he’s willin’ to give up his keys. I’m Dean, by the way.” He held out a hand, smirking suggestively.

            “I’m Sherly Holmes,” after glancing at his outstretched palm, seemingly searching for some unknown clue, she shook while giving him a look filled with flint and ice, shooting down the attempted flirtation.

* * *

            Less than an hour later, they were back at ‘the scene’ as Sherly had begun to affectionately call it. After scarcely more than five minutes, she turned on her heel and headed back to the car.

            “That’s it?” Dean called out to her receding figure.  
            “I got most of the evidence from you and the clothes that you so prudently provided. It was lucky you didn’t have time to shower. I needed to check here to make sure there were others with you.” She glanced over her shoulder and continued, “Two, females, both of reasonably average height and weight. They took your car.” She waited patiently in the passenger seat as Dean slid into the car. “I’ll give you directions. Your friend will be there, possibly your car also.”  
            “They took Baby too? Dammit. I should never have gone to that party. Luci seemed like a crazy bitch, but it’s so damn boring at this school.”  
            “Luci? As in Lucille Reynolds?”  
            “Yeah, why?” Dean turned to look at Sherly, who had sounded concerned. However, she didn’t respond and simply gazed at a spot outside the window. Grumbling under his breath, Dean headed back into town.

* * *

            They stopped outside an office building downtown. Of course, there were about fifty office buildings downtown. Nothing seemed familiar to Dean. Although he didn’t really need to worry about that since Sherly was heading purposefully up to the building at the end of the block. Dean hurried to catch up, cursing having to deal with long-legged giants like Sam and Sherly. Suddenly, she stopped and he almost ran into her.  
            “What’re you lookin’ at?” Dean was getting more and more annoyed at this girl. She’d started off reasonably pleasant but had barely said a word the whole drive, only giving quick directions and reaching over to turn off his music. Sherly turned her head and blinked at him, as if refocusing on reality.  
            “I was checking to make sure that the electric company hasn’t turned the electricity back on. It would prove to be awkward for you to answer their questions.” Without explaining further she quickly picked the lock and strode in as if she owned the place. Before Dean could even protest at the careless criminal act she walked across the empty lobby to the elevator bank.  
            “Where is everyone?”  
            “Where do you think? It’s painfully obvious that the building isn’t inhabited. The company that owned the building went bankrupt, and they’re selling it off. Unfortunately for your friend, they shut the electricity off when he was in the building.”  
            “So what? Is he afraid of the dark or somethin’? Why’d he get stuck here?” Sherly looked pointedly to the elevators.  
            “Shit. You’re kiddin’ me right? We gotta call the company and get them to turn it back on.”  
            “You realize, of course, that they’ll most likely arrest you for trespassing? And possibly destruction of their property. I doubt that Luci and Mori left this place intact.”  
            “Well, what else can I do?”  
            “I could call in a favor. An engineer with the company owes me one.”  
            “Why?  Didya find _his_ drunken buddy too?”  
            “No, his thumb. Would you like me to call or do you want to continue standing around gawking?” As she placed the call, Dean wandered off to try and contact Cas again. He didn’t know how the poor guy would react to being stuck in a confined space for so long. Then the extent of what Sherly had said hit him.  
            “Hold the phone,” she looked up quizzically for a moment, “Not literally. How did you know Luci and Mori were here? I haven’t even remembered yet.”  
            “Mori Timmons is the only one of Luci’s friends with the correct foot size and weight to have left those prints at the beach. And frankly, she is the most likely to be partying with her. On a Sunday.” She shot Dean a faintly disapproving look.  
            “What? It’d been a long week. When is the engineer going to-” Dean stopped as the lights began flickering on. He quickly hit the button to the elevator. Repeatedly.  
            “No matter how many times you press that it isn’t going to move any faster.” Sherly seemed to be in a more sociable mood than before, smiling faintly as the elevator doors opened.  
            “Cas I-” Dean was cut off by the fist that connected to his face, quickly followed by the disheveled form of Castiel. After another punch or two, Cas seemed satisfied and backed down. Dean tried to talk clearly while pinching the bridge of his nose.  
            “I did’t mean to leab you in there.”  
            “OF COURSE NOT, YOU JUST LEFT ME  FOR TWO WOMEN ACCIDENTALLY”  
            “Just calm dow’ I’b really sorry,” Dean released his nose, “Plus, they stole my car. I’d call that even.”  
            “I SPENT. THE NIGHT.  IN AN ELEVATOR. HIGH UP. WITH ONLY FOUR SQUARE FEET OF ROOM. DON’T TALK TO ME ABOUT EVEN.” Cas stopped for a moment to catch his breath, before stalking out the door.  
            “Is he normally so amicable?” Dean glared at Sherly and followed Cas out.


	3. Dude, Where's My Car?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean embarks on a mission to retrieve the most important object in the universe and gets in deeper with bad company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews and comments are encouraged. Polite ones. If they're not polite, they will be met with sass and destruction.

            Dean collapsed onto his bed. He didn’t know how he would explain this to Mary. Or the school. Right now, he was just glad his friend was no longer M.I.A. Having Cas back was almost enough to assuage the pain of losing the Impala. Sherly had promised to help get her back, but Dean wished he didn’t have to wait. Groaning, he buried his face in the pillow and gave in to exhaustion.

* * *

            Cas walked resolutely up the path and through his front door. His parents weren’t the most attentive, but he was sure they would have noticed that he’d missed school, not called, and looked even more unkempt than usual. Castiel made a beeline for the stairs, hoping to change before his father caught sight of him. Barely a foot away from the first step, Gabe intercepted him. Gabriel’s customary goofy smile was plastered onto his face, making him look like a sly newscaster.

            “Where’ve you been?”

            “Dean’s. I went to his house to study and fell asleep on my biology homework,” Castiel recited mechanically, just as Dean had told him.

            “Really?” Gabe’s voice was filled with false concern, “But the school called and said you’d missed class.”

            “I...there must have been an error. I definitely attended,” Cas was panicking now; Dean hadn’t come up with an answer for this.

            “It’s cool. I told them you were home sick.” Gabe smirked and winked at Cas, “Glad you’re finally getting some tail, even if Dean isn’t exactly up to the normal Bendito standards,” Castiel’s eyes widened in shock.

            “Dean and I aren’t-we don’t-I-he isn’t,” Gabe strolled away before Cas could come up with a coherent response.

* * *

            Sherly was bored again. She’d just finished an experiment when Dean had requested her help. The case had relieved the monotony of the daylight hours, but it returned full force in the evening. Worse yet, nothing at home piqued her interest. Her modest dorm at the academy was comfortable, but devoid of any sufficient distractions. And John was still miffed at her for taking the car without notice. Rolling over on the bed, she yanked out her phone and sent a text.  
  
 _It was for a case.-SH_  
 _Most people don’t copy their mates’ keys. -JW_  
 _I assumed I’d need them, and I was correct. Besides, I am not most people.-SH_  
 _Obviously-JW_  
 _Was that an insult?-SH_  
 _You can’t tell?-JW_  
 _Well it wasn’t very effective-SH_  
 _It’s dull here-SH_  
 _That’s called karma-JW_  
 _You can’t be that angry.-SH_  
 _Yes, I can. I need that car. And when my friend goes gallivanting off with it, to God knows where, with some strange man, I have every right to be angry-JW_  
 _Is it just because I didn’t bring you?-SH_  
 _You were in class-SH_  
 _School hadn’t started-JW_  
 _You had a test-SH_  
 _That was on Friday-JW_  
 _I found his friend-SH_  
 _What do you want, a medal?-JW_  
 _I wonder if the school improved the security of the gun safe-SH_  
 _You wouldn’t. After the last time, I don’t think that the school will forgive you this time, no matter what Mycroft says-JW_  
 _There are no problems for someone like me to grapple with. They’re all so...elementary-SH_  
 _Stop feeling sorry for yourself. That soap I showed you is on at 6.-JW_  
 _I don’t watch that drivel-SH_  
 _Really? Then you don’t know Marcus is the father.-JW_  
 _He’s a red herring. It’s obviously Simon-SH_  
 _Channel 147-JW_

Sherly snorted and tossed the phone, tangling herself up in the blanket. After a moment, she peeked out and grabbed the remote.    

* * *

 

            Dean woke up to two blue eyes blinking at him. But they were the wrong shade. And the wrong face surrounded them. It wore a smirk that was growing all too familiar.  
            “Sherly?” he asked blearily, “What in the hell are you doing in my room?”  
            “It was growing too tedious. If we leave now, we could retrieve your car before classes.” Dean turned to the alarm clock beside his bed, and grunted vaguely.  
            “I’s four in the mornin’. Go awa’,” He burrowed back underneath the covers, hoping that the irksome girl would leave.  
            “You really should get up; she threw the remote through the TV when Simon ended up being the father.” Dean started at the unfamiliar voice, turning to see a guy leaning against his door frame. He was slim, although not nearly as skinny as Sherly, and had short dirty blonde hair.  
            “It was too predictable.”  
            “All soap operas are predictable. There’s a coma, multiple love triangles, death, illegitimate children etc.” The boy chuckled quietly.  
            “Dude, who the fuck are you? An’ Sherly, if you weren’t a girl I’d-”  
            “Fail. You wouldn’t get a single hit in. Especially with John here.” When she’d first arrived in his room, Sherly had seemed excited. Now it was as if she’d wilted, retracting back into herself. Actually, she was scowling.  
            “Mmph. Fine. I want to get the Impala back from those evil broads anyways.”  
            “I did tell Cas to call first. Apparently, you hung up on him. I think he was rather put-out.”  
            “Big baby. That’s what he gets for callin’ me so damn early in the morning,” Again Dean fixed Sherly with a reproachful glare, “How’d you get in anyways?”  
            “Mary let us in. She seemed surprised that you would have visitors. She kept offering us coffee. I fail to understand why.” Sherly had regained her energy as soon as Dean had acquiesced to tracking down the Impala.  
            “Maybe ‘cause most humans need serious amounts o’ caffeine to function before dawn.”

            John responded before Sherly could form a comment, “We know, you’re not most people. Do you want to get your car back or lay around in bed all day?”

  
            Dean opened the car door, startled to see Castiel sitting in the opposite seat. “Hey, Cas! Are ya okay?” Dean said a little too cheerily, as if hoping the anger from last night might wear off if only he had a good attitude. The glare Cas gave him made it clear that this tactic wouldn’t work. Dean’s smile faltered as he sat down. “Whoa there, tune down the bitchface. What’re ya doin’ here anyways? It’s my car they stole.”  
            “I think he’s holding a grudge from being locked in the lift.” John smiled as he pulled the car out of the driveway, “Good thing too, dealing with those two isn’t going to be easy.”  
            

            As they pulled up to the house, Dean was beginning understand the depth of how fucked they were. “Why did they jack my car? I get the impression that they’re not exactly short on money.” Sherly glanced back, uninterested. John nudged her leg slightly. Sherly scoffed and looked in the mirror at Dean.

            “I imagine they took a fancy to it. Their moral compasses don’t exactly point clear north.”  
  
            Sherly strode confidently to the door, while John followed behind looking particularly protective. Castiel was to Sherly’s left looking as ruffled as a pissed off parakeet. They looked like an honor guard for a queen preparing to announce war. Dean stopped for a moment to look upward and whistled at the sheer enormity of the building.  
            “Nice digs,” Dean said. Sherly glanced over her shoulder, a mischievous glint in her eye.  
            “Mori’s father is the principal of the academy,” she replied. Dean’s eyes doubled in size, and he glanced around, alarmed.  
            “Shouldn’t we leave then? I don’t want to pick a fight with the head honcho’s daughter. My mom’ll kill me.”  
            “It’s quite alright. He’s been dealing with her antics for years. Professor Timmons may tolerate them in the home, but he usually doesn’t interfere when it becomes public. The trick is catching her.” Judging by the superior smile on Sherly’s face, Dean guessed she knew this from personal experience. John rolled his eyes and rang the doorbell.  
            “Let’s try not to badger her quite as much this time. She still has the school newspaper under her thumb. It took ages to get everyone to stop believing that you were some psychopath.” The door swung open to reveal Mori. She was shorter than Dean had expected yet something about her appearance was just plain devilish. Luci was behind Mori, sucking on her neck. Luci was older, in her early twenties and looked absolutely impish.  But hot. Both of them were. That’s why Dean had accepted their invitation, even though he knew they were guano.  
            “Ah, Sherly,” Mori glanced over the rest of the group. Something about the knowing look in her eyes as she finished the inspection sent chills down Dean’s spine, “I assume you want the car back.”  
            “If you would be so kind.” Dean had thought Sherly was cold before, she was absolutely icy now. Luci straightened up, but kept an arm draped over Mori’s shoulder. Her eyes fixed directly on Cas.  
            “Oh it’s Castiel. I’ve missed you; I don’t like being separated from family.” Luci pouted. Actually pouted.  
            “Family doesn’t generally leave each other in abandoned office buildings.” Luci’s eyes narrowed and she dropped her pout, instead opting for an oddly detached frown. Dean decided he wanted to be anywhere but here.  
            “Nor do they disown each other. I expected this from Michael and father, but not sweet little Castiel.” Cas just stood there, immobile as ever, and kept his eyes fixed on Luci’s.  
            “Look, I don’t really know what’s goin’ on here, but school is starting soon and I’d really appreciate it if I could drive myself,” Dean put on a winning smile and rose his hands in an appeasing gesture. Mori finally turned away from Sherly, looking positively amused at Dean’s feeble attempt at peace.  
            “You did lend it to us. And it’s been so much fun driving her.” Dammit. She was smirking. That was it. She was going to get it. Girl or not. Before Dean could take more than a step, Cas held out an arm and appealed directly to Luci.  
            “I could ask father to have you over for dinner. Gabe and Balthazar would side with me.” Dean scoffed, positive that such a sentimental offer would have no effect on the terror in front of them.  
            “Deal.” Dean’s jaw dropped. He wasn’t the only one. Mori shot Luci a look filled with resentment.  
            “Well now that that’s settled, why don’t you show us where the car is?” John shocked everyone by piping up, as he was the only one who hadn’t seemed about to tear someone’s throat out.  
            “Around back,” Mori said, tossing the keys to Sherly, “We’ll finish this later.” The door slammed shut in their faces.  
            “Friendly people.” Dean’s remark was ignored except for a sympathetic look from John before they headed around the corner of the house.  
            Dean checked everything: the cab, the ‘boot’, the tires, and even the engine. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a scratch on her. He sighed in relief and hopped on the hood, leaning back to soak up some rays and relax. Sherly’s sharp voice interrupted his reverie.  
            “Didn’t you say you wanted to drive yourself to school? If you’re late, I doubt they’ll forgive you because you were loitering on the principal’s lawn.”  
            Groaning, Dean dragged himself onto his feet and motioned to Cas, “C’mon let’s blow this joint.” He was interested as to why Castiel had never mentioned that Luci was his sister. Not to mention, he was still filling in the holes from Sunday night, something Cas could help him with. 

* * *

            After school, Dean headed to the field for football practice. His mom had been nagging him to join some sort of activity and he figured that the small accomplishment would soften the blow when the school called to tell her that Dean had skipped out on Monday. As he sauntered onto the field, he felt a pang of doubt. Some of the kids here had been playing football their whole lives, with generous fathers doting on their sons, hoping that they could accomplish acclaim in their father’s place. The closest Dean had had to a trainer was tossing a ball around in the backyard when his dad had time off. He carefully arranged his face into a determined mask. Even if he walked off the field bruised and defeated, he wouldn’t show a hint of emotion. Dean had enough issues at school without everyone thinking he was a wimp. He scanned the tight-knit groups, unsure of where to stand.  
            “Dean!” John was calling from across the field, standing next to another dude. Dean jogged over, facade failing him as his relief showed in a wide grin.  
            “Hey, John didn’t know you were into sports. I thought it was all crime-solving and chasing Sherly around.”  
            “Well everyone needs a hobby. I used to play rugby back home. And since I’m interested in medicine I think it’s important to keep fit. Not to mention that you have to in order to keep up with Sherly. What about you? No parties today?”  
            Dean rubbed the back of his neck ruefully, “I don’t usually party...at least not this year. So who’re you?” Dean turned to the boy and asked directly, not one to delay matters with manners. The kid’s hair was carefully trimmed and dark brown. His eyes were so dark that they were almost black.  
            “Call me Greg. Someone ought to. That girl refuses to call me by anything but my last name,” Greg jerked his head to the bleachers, indicating Sherly and the familiar rumpled form of Cas, “Not sure she actually knows it. My father’s the police chief here, and he’s consulted with Sherly once...or twice. John made me come. Says I’m not _friendly._ ”  
            Dean couldn’t help but agree. Greg seemed nice enough, but the whole speech had been delivered with short, clipped sentences, as if he was reading a report. He wasn’t exactly frowning but he sure as hell wasn’t smiling either. Dean nodded and held out a hand.  
            “Dean Winchester.”  
            “I know,” he replied shortly, not seeming to notice the hand as he scanned the field. When he did register the affronted look on Dean’s face, he grasped the outstretched hand warmly and elaborated, “John told me about it. I had to cover for Sherly’s absence. If anybody asks, she was stuck in her dorm, puking her guts out.”

            Dean raised his eyebrows skeptically, “Wouldn’t they call a doctor for that?”

            John chuckled, “Not after Sherly told the last one that he was a blithering idiot who shouldn’t even be cleaning bedpans and that if he didn’t leave immediately she’d phone his wife about the affair.” Dean looked at Sherly with respect etched into his face.  
            “Hmph. Doesn’t like doctors?”  
            “Only when they don’t tell her what to do which is always since she doesn’t eat for days on end and her mood swings like a pendulum.”

            Castiel didn’t know how to react to this type of situation. He glanced around frantically hoping for a solution. Her eyes, which were sea green, although he knew they had been blue on Monday, bored into the back of his head.

            “Ah...I’m afraid I don’t understand.” Castiel understood perfectly, he just hoped if she repeated the question, it would make more sense. Sherly’s exasperated sigh signaled her growing impatience. Cas thought that this was probably a normal state for her.

            “Does Dean know you’re enamored with him? Because he doesn’t act differently, but then again, that may be because he seems to be interested in everyone to some degree.”

            “I’m not.” Castiel was blushing now, something that was becoming a common occurrence when Dean was involved.

            “Really?” Sherly seemed genuinely shocked. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced over Cas once more, “Are you sure?”  
            “Yes.” Castiel hoped this answer would satisfy the girl’s avid curiosity.

            “Odd. I was sure...” Something about her tone made Cas think she still was, “But no matter. You do have multiple siblings, substantial money, absent parents and an accelerated pace of study?”

            “...Yes.”  
            “So I had everything-almost everything-right.” Sherly sniffed and sat back, burrowing into her jacket. She fixed her eyes on the field, losing interest in Castiel, and her eyes seemed to go vacant. However, whenever John was making a pass a glint came back into them. And even when Cas thought she’d checked out, her eyes followed Watson.  
            “Does John know you’re enamored with him?” Cas asked mischievously, feeling vengeful. Sherly started, shaken out of her thoughts.  
            “I’m not enamored with him. Romantic relationships of any kind are a distraction. And human beings are fickle creatures. The hardest puzzle to solve is their motives.”  
            “So you think John is fickle?”  
            Sherly turned to Cas. “No. He’s generally honest and has strong moral principles. Refreshingly transparent, actually.”  
            “Hmm.” A smile tinged with sadness flashed across Castiel’s face. Even after the smile faded, an expression of vague dismay still showed. He leaned back with Sherly, far more comfortable with the girl now. Both of them definitely _not_ keeping slightly longing gazes fixed on the objects of their affection.

* * *

            Dean collapsed onto the bench in the locker room, “Whew. That was a workout. You’re some tough competition, Watson.” Dean parroted the coach’s bark when he said ‘Watson’ and continued mimicking the man’s authoritative tone, “Hurry up, hurry up. The grass is growing while you girls lollygag around.”  
            “Oh, Rufus isn’t that bad-”  
            “You mean Coach Turner.”  
            John ignored him and continued, “He’s just tough with the newbies. He wants to see who pulls their weight.”  
            Dean laughed outright at that. “Pulls their _own_ weight? I think he made me pull half the team’s weight.”

            “That just means he likes you,” John sat up, pulling on his shirt. His voice grew more serious, “Don’t worry. You showed the snobs you weren’t a pushover.”

            “All except me, of course. Then again, I’m a scholarship kid too. Some deal dad brokered with Mori’s dad.” Greg smiled widely for the first time Dean had seen. It seemed a bit strained, although Dean thought that might just be because his teeth flashed. Like a contented shark. Shrugging, Dean bent over to tie his shoes.

            “Whatever. I mostly came just so mom wouldn’t scream at me for missing a day.”  
            John looked startled, “Didn’t Sherly forge the record for you? She hacked the network ages ago...” John saw the answer on Dean’s face and sighed, “She probably forgot. I don’t think she’d notice if it displayed the true number of her absences. She forgets to eat if you don’t remind her. You’re new to the game, so the teachers won’t notice. Sherly needs a viable excuse delivered to every teacher by a trustworthy student.”

            Greg raised an eyebrow, his way of articulating an entire paragraph, “I don’t know how she’d get out of bed in the morning without you.” A beat passed as a smirk played over Greg’s face and Dean coughed, holding back laughter. The comment finally seemed to hit home in John’s head.

            “We’re not dating!” John protested, his voice rising in pitch, and Dean crumpled to the floor, clutching his ribs. “Oh you’re one to talk, the sexual tension between you and Castiel is downright palpable.”  
            Dean’s guffaw cut off halfway through, the amusement dying in his throat as he sat dumbstruck.

 

            Walking out of the locker room after a few awkward moments, Dean turned to John, genuinely curious, “How’d you meet Sherly anyways? You two don’t exactly run in the same social circles.”

            “You mean because she’s supposed to be a freak and I’m supposed to be a jock?” John’s voice was tight with anger.

            “No, cool your jets, I didn’t mean to insult you.”

            “It’s not me, it’s just that I’ve heard Sherly called a lot of things, generally by prats who have no idea what they’re talking about,” He sighed and relaxed somewhat, “Well, we had detention together.”

            “Detention?” Greg asked, leaving the locker room to join them, “Now this is a story I haven’t heard...”

            “I can’t picture either of you in detention. Sherly’s too smart to get caught by the idiots runnin’ this school and you’re too...well.” Dean gestured indistinctly as if to finish the statement.

            “Oh, I didn’t do anything. I was blamed for it, anyways. Sherly’s problem was that she’s too smart. Neither of you know this, but the chemistry teacher we had originally was a complete twat. Sherly, ironically, is irritated by people with cocky attitudes. She corrected him and did amazing on every lab.”

            “She got detention for bein’ smart? Well that’s a first.”  
            “You’ve never been corrected by Sherly, have you?” Greg seemed vastly amused by the story.  
            “Although I really don’t think he dealt with it very well. Then again, he was a gibbering idiot. He ended up sealing his own fate.”  
            “How?” Dean asked, now as interested in the story as Greg.  
            “Mycroft was less than pleased to hear that his baby sister was in detention. A full review of the man’s conduct was held and he was found to be incompetent.” John was downright grinning.  
            “Well, the fool deserved it, he didn’t know the difference between an ionic and a covalent bond,” Sherly snorted derisively, shocking Dean. He swung around to see that she and Cas had snuck up behind him.  
            “I see why you irritated the guy,” Dean completely missed the look of hurt that flashed across Sherly’s face, “But he does sound like an asshat.”  
            “Well, that’s how Sherly defeated her first enemy.” John slipped back into the conversation, noticing that Sherly was looking a bit ticked off.  
            “Hardly, the man was a nuisance, nothing more.”  
            “A nuisance for you is everyone else’s worst nightmare.”  
            “Wait, how did that end up with you two being friends?” Dean tried to steer the conversation back to its purpose.  
            “Sherly figured out why I was there and everything about me in ten seconds flat.”  
            “Five.” Sherly interrupted sharply, frowning.  
            John rolled his eyes, “Okay, five. Anyways, this was still the first few weeks of school, and Sherly kept getting kicked out of different wings of the school for making too much noise. Since I’m here on a scholarship and won’t cry home to my parents if the school didn’t give me one of the giant flats in the main building, I was regulated to an abandoned area mostly used for storage. Usually they don’t put the girls’ and boys’ rooms in the same building, much less the same hallway, but the girls’ dorm refused to have her and the school refused to put her in the boys’ building. She managed to weasel her way into my building.”  
            “She got kicked out of the dorms?” Cas asked, shocked at the scandal of it.  
            “Apparently they don’t enjoy midnight musical performances or noxious experiments. Anyways, Sherly and I were headed to a diner downtown; it’s pretty much the only legal place for teens to go off campus. The town is pretty small. Do you guys want to come with us?”  
            “Okay,” Castiel chirped.  
            Dean glared at Castiel, not entirely sure he wanted to spend some more time with the odd pair. He didn’t know if he’d emerge alive. Not to mention he had an entire day of school to make up.  
            “Sorry, I have to study for a math test.” Greg waved and wandered off. The other three turned to Dean, waiting for his answer.  
            “Bad food and worse company? Sure, why not.” Dean couldn’t leave Castiel hanging around them alone, especially considering that they were no friend of Mori’s.


	4. Meet the Benditos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dangerous date occurs. Did I say date?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the latest chapter. Congrats AO3 peeps, you're all caught up with the FF peeps. Comments and everything are welcome.

            Dean stumbled through the front door, slamming his shoulder against it, and gingerly avoided any breakables.

            “Dean!” All of his efforts were laid to waste as he toppled over, startled at the sharpness and force in his mother’s voice. Laying with his nose ground into the floorboards, Dean decided the reasonable thing to do was just stay there for a while.

            “Are you okay?” A note of concern entered Ms. Campbell’s vicious tone, and he felt her hand tighten around his forearm. He reluctantly allowed her to yank him into a standing position. “What happened? You look terrible.”

            Dean winced, blood roaring in his head and guilt flooding through him as he realized he couldn’t tell her the truth. When his father had left, Dean promised Mary he’d shape up, stop lying, and help with Sammy. Damn Sherly.

            Apparently, Sherly was uninterested in the prospect of a relaxing meal with friends. Right when Dean had been about to chomp down on his burger, after getting Cas to do the same, Sherly had leaped out of her seat and barreled through the door, John close on her heels. Of course, never ones to leave friends behind, Dean and Cas had followed them. Right into a dark alley. And, as it so happened, the thief had brought his posse with him.

            The most intense brawl of Dean’s life commenced. Thankfully Castiel, John, and the Holmes girl could all hold their own. It ended pretty quickly, all the good guys escaping with nothing more than a couple of bruises. All, except Dean. Dean was apparently a magnet for big guys toting blunt objects. The guy had clocked Dean around the head before the fight had ended. Then Dean had stalked away, ignoring Cas’s protests, John’s attempted ministrations and, most of all, Sherly’s stupid explanations.

            “You didn’t get in a fight, did you?” the disappointment dripping from her every syllable hit Dean in the gut.

            “No,” Dean choked out, “Mugged,” as close to the truth as possible.

            “You’re kidding! Well maybe you shouldn’t be going into town on school nights with strange girls,” Mary’s admonitory tone returned, and Dean focused on his mother’s face at last. His eyebrows knit together in confusion.

            “Wha?”

            “Sam saw you,” she sniffed disapprovingly while steering him into a chair.

            “Hold on...Sherly?! She’s not a girl,” Dean cried as his mother forced him into a sitting position. Mary raised an eyebrow skeptically, resting her hands on her hips. “Well, she is but...we were all there, Cas and Joh--”

            His mother cut him off, “Oh Castiel was there? That’s all right then.”

            Dean was completely thrown. He was losing track of whether or not his mom was mad, and completely befuddled as to why Cas’s presence made it all better. The kid was practically a third son in her eyes, sure, but a third son still didn’t account for all the forgiving behaviour. Whatever, best not to put a gift horse under the microscope...

            “Doesn’t look like anything major, but you’re banged up pretty bad, so we’re getting the doctor to take a look tomorrow. You’d better head up to bed.” Without further comment, his mother left the room, and Dean suddenly remembered why he had been so anxious about coming home. Looked like Sherly had gotten to the records in time. Still, he had enough make-up work for the rest of the night. He was going to be disobeying his mother’s orders again.

            Dean caught a pair of eyes peering at him from the top of the stairs.

            “You drunk again?” Sam called down critically. Dean scoffed at that.

            “Not after that last time. How dumb do you think I am, Sammy?”

            Sam slipped down the stairs, awkward gangly preteen limbs flying everywhere. He gave Dean a look that said he definitely did not want an answer to that. “Castiel was really with you and that girl?” Sam’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, though considering they were naturally wide, they remained huge.

            “Yeah. Mind telling me why that got mom to back off?”

            Sam smiled toothily, “She’s convinced you two are in love.” For the second time that day Dean sat stricken at other’s perceptions of his friendship with Castiel.

            “Why is everyone convinced we’re gay?” Sam didn’t reply, sniggering as he jogged to the kitchen.

* * *

 

            Hours later, Dean packed away the last of his supplies and fished his phone out of his jacket. Flipping through his messages he began to chuckle as he read one from Cas. Dean had spent weeks separating Castiel from his computer and fashioning him into a functioning texter. The mission had met with only moderate success. Despite Sam’s lessons in addition to Dean’s, Cas texted as one would normally write a college essay and no less formally.

_Hello Dean, I hope that you have recovered from tonight’s escapade and suffered no major injuries. Also, I apologize for the events that unfolded. Unfortunately, I must ask a favor of you. I would appreciate if you attended our family dinner Friday for “emotional support”._

 

Dean sighed, as he once again set himself up for an undoubtedly dangerous date with Cas. Meal. MEAL.

* * *

 

            Dean straightened his tie. His mother had insisted on buying him a new suit, but it felt like someone was strangling him. Stiffening his resolve, he rang the Benditos’ doorbell.  
            The boy that answered was only a bit older than Dean although his air of confidence added years onto his age. It set Dean’s teeth on edge. A lollipop stick stuck out from between the kid’s lips, and he pulled it out with a pop.  
            “Hey. You must be Dean. Welcome to our humble abode,” the boy bowed theatrically and swung the door wide for Dean. The house wasn’t exactly a ‘humble abode.’ Dean felt as if he had stepped into the home of celestial beings. Everything was bedecked in marble and gold. Shining, grandiose stairs led up to a landing as large as Dean’s kitchen. On the wall hung a portrait, portraying a regal and remote family.

            “You can call me Gabriel, Master of All.” Pointing to the picture, Gabriel identified the rest of the family, “Michael, Mother, Father, Balthazar, Anna. And of course you’ve already met Castiel and Luci.” Dean glanced at Gabriel with surprise. “Oh don’t worry Dean-o, no one else knows about your little...incident.”

            “How do _you_ know?”  
            “I have some unique connections. Your stint in debauchery was practically front page news in certain circles.” Gabriel sauntered away, expecting Dean to follow. “I’m assuming Castiel told you about the situation?”  
            “Uh, not really,” Dean replied, feeling more out-of-place with his surroundings than he did in his outfit. Other than the carefully staged portrait on the stairs, no family pictures were visible. Not that they were short of space. He stopped and glanced back to where Gabriel had stopped a few steps back.  
            “Castiel thinks this is a wasted effort, Balthazar honestly doesn’t give a damn, and Michael is going to try to mess this up in any way he can. I, for one, would like Luci to come back.” Gabriel glared at him, expecting resistance.  
            Dean didn’t respond. Personally, he agreed with Cas. With the shitstorm that was the Bendito family dynamic, they didn’t have a chance in hell of making everything hunky-dory in one night.  
            “Father hired someone to head a new department, which Luci felt she should be heading. Michael fired her for insubordination. Father stood by his decision. Luci left home and changed her name to Reynolds. Apparently she liked the sound of Luci F. Reynolds,” the note of bitterness was clear in Gabriel’s voice, and Dean felt a pang of sympathy. He understood what it was like trying to keep a shattered family together. Gabriel snapped his fingers in front of Dean’s eyes, “Yo, Dean-o. Don’t. Fuck. This. Up. I don’t know why you’re here but Castiel isn’t the only one bringing a date so what can I do. Little brother’s room is up these stairs,” Gabriel indicated a narrow, unobtrusive set of stairs that wound up as if up to a tower. “Dinner’s at seven,” Dean turned to make a snarky remark only to find that Gabriel had faded away. Sighing with trepidation, Dean wandered up the stairs to the attic-like bedroom. Opening the door without pausing to knock, he found Cas curled up in the bed like a cat, a book hanging from his fingertips. Dean chuckled softly and inspected the room. Now that he had been exposed to the stark and opulent lifestyle the Benditos exhibited, he was relieved to find a bastion of true comfort in their household. Cas’s room had books littered about the floor in uneven stacks, although Dean was certain that there was an order to the chaos.

             The closet’s contents were sparse, composed of a set of school uniforms, a few t-shirts, two whole pairs of jeans, and the now ever-present trench coat. Dean had returned the coat to Castiel after the night of femme fatale horrors, and Castiel had worn it every day since then. Sherly had called the coat a ‘fetish object.’ Dean had no idea what that meant so John had translated the phrase to ‘safety blanket.’ Dean still didn’t get it.

            Castiel’s room had the same type of dreary furniture that the rest of the house was furnished with; however, his belongings showed signs of use. The simple evidence that this room was lived in allowed some warmth to show through, and Castiel’s possessions and style added to the homier feel. CDs that Dean had lent to Cas in order to improve his music taste were scattered around the stereo system, and Dean was happy to see that Castiel had listened to them, despite the fact that he had undoubtedly hated them. Dean perched on an uncomfortable chair and attempted to find something to entertain himself as Castiel slept. He was hesitant to disrupt the fragile ecosystem of Castiel’s organization, and eventually opted for musing on his situation.  
            “We are so screwed,” he mumbled quietly, peering over to ensure he had not woken the other boy up. Castiel murmured in his sleep and rolled over, dropping the book he was holding lightly onto the floor. Cas’s lashes beat a quick staccato on his cheekbone as his dreams were momentarily disrupted, before he drifted off once again. Dean continued to gaze at the boy, enjoying the sight of Castiel finally and truly resting. Dark circles had begun to appear more and more frequently under his friend’s eyes as school and other events had grown more stressful.  
            Dean jerked out of his reverie, startled that he had been _gazing_ at his _best friend._ What was wrong with him lately? It was like he had become that creepy-ass vampire from those sappy movies his mom had dragged the boys to.  
            “Holy shit, I’m Edward,” Dean spoke in shock, rather too loudly. Castiel stirred and his eyelids dragged open as he contemplated Dean blankly. Consciousness fully entered his eyes and a tired smile played about his lips.  
            “What?” Cas managed voice thick with sleep.  
            “Nothin’,” Dean replied, blushing. Hell, he was _blushing_ now. “Dinner’s at seven,” he parroted Gabriel, tossing the sentence out in desperation.  
            Castiel turned to the clock blearily, “We have another thirty minutes.” Dean fixed his eyes on the stereo, looking anywhere but Castiel’s indecently attractive bed hair. “Your turn.” Dean’s attention snapped back to Castiel, confused. Castiel raised an eyebrow and smirked. “I listened to all your CDs. It’s time you reciprocate.”  
            “Oh, yeah, okay, sure,” Dean pulled a CD off the shelf at random, fumbled it out of the case, and stuck it in the player.  
            Castiel’s eyebrows knit together at his friend’s odd behavior. Attributing it to nerves, he disregarded it and rested his head on the pillow, relaxing to the sound of one of his favorite albums.  
            “Mumford and Sons? Wow, my best friend is a hipster. God help me,” Dean smirked at Cas.  
            “I am not a hipster,” Cas stated, matter of fact. Dean sighed in mock consternation at his friend’s oddity. “It’s more to my taste than the jarring notes of AC/DC.”  
            “You didn’t like any of the songs,” a hint of dismay crept into Dean’s voice-he had hoped that Cas would at least like one of them.  
            “‘Every Rose Has Its Thorn,’” Cas replied, and was pleased to see a broad smile form on Dean’s face.  
            “Poison. Good choice.” Castiel looked at him with concern, and Dean waved him off.  
            The next half hour passed comfortably as Dean bashed many of Cas’s favorite songs in good humor, and Cas replied with calm counterattacks.

* * *

            Dinner was notably less comfortable. When Dean first caught sight of the Benditos’ dining room, he was uneasily reminded of the scene from _Batman_ where Bruce Wayne and his date had attempted to eat at the Wayne family table. There would be enough discomfort without everyone being forced to shout at one another just to be heard.  
            “We’re supposed to eat on _that_?” Dean asked, panic tingeing the syllables.  
            “Oh. No, that’s for Father’s business meetings. We’re using the other table, down the hall.” Dean raked his hand through his hair and let out a short, embarrassed laugh. The question must have seemed foolish to someone accustomed to an extravagant lifestyle. He knew Cas wouldn’t think Dean inferior, yet it still bugged Dean to appear in any way deficient in Castiel’s eyes. God, when had he become such a girl? Stuffing his hands in his pockets and hunching his shoulders, Dean followed Castiel to the secondary dining room.  
            If Dean had expected a normal-sized table, he was sorely disappointed. Even the auxiliary table was enormous. However, where the Winchesters’ table was scuffed with familiar marks from the boys’ childhood, the Benditos’ was spotless. Struck once again by the coldness pervading the Bendito household, he craved the coziness of home. He couldn’t imagine anyone growing up in such a place without emerging bent and perverse. Nevertheless, this same family had produced Castiel, who, despite being somewhat oblivious and odd, wasn’t the sort of automaton Dean expected a Bendito child to be.  
            At the head of the table, flanked by the two eldest children, sat Castiel’s father. The man had a kind face, while still seeming aloof. His expression exuded one of daft calm although the two siblings at his sides were glaring at each other with loathing. No wonder he hadn’t questioned Michael’s ousting of Luci. Gabriel sat beside Michael, and across from an empty seat. According to Cas, Balthazar and Anna weren’t coming, apparently they had begged out due to their strict college schedules. Lucky bastards. Castiel’s mother was strangely missing from the picture. Dean hadn’t asked for details, seeing the flash of pain in Castiel’s eyes when he mentioned it. Castiel sat next to Gabriel, and Dean took the seat beside the empty spot, since it had a filled glass in front of it and was clearly taken.  
            Well, the stage was set for a fun-packed evening. The situation could be worse, or at least Dean thought so, until Mori walked in and took the vacant seat. _Ah,_ he remembered, _Castiel wasn’t the only one who brought a date._ Sonuvabitch. Dean endeavored to sit as far away from Mori as possible without actually falling out of the seat.  
            Staff filed into the room, and served the family. The procession added a ridiculous element to the situation, the unruffled manner of the servers clashing with the tense atmosphere. Hysterical laughter threatened to bubble out of Dean, and he only managed to keep a lid on it by focusing on Castiel’s tranquil expression. Until Cas turned his eyes to Dean’s and the hidden alarm became clear.  
            The doorbell rang.  
            Dean suppressed an insane desire to volunteer to answer the door. One of the wait staff walked out of the room, presumably to let the guest in. _Breathe._ Dean focused on his breathing until a trickle of forced conversation broke through.  
            “So how did you and Mori meet?” Gabriel attempted, pushing civility into the atmosphere with the weak inquiry.  
            Luci smirked. “It’s not exactly a story for a polite dinner.”  
            Michael scoffed. The hostile and agonizing quiet resumed. Voices drifted from the hallway, and Dean groaned.  
            “Sherly, you really can’t-” Dean was unable to hear the rest of John’s statement, but his anxiety increased nonetheless. The absent server returned and addressed Castiel.  
            “Some friends are waiting for you and Mr. Winchester outside, sir.” Dean rescinded every bad thing he had ever thought about Sherly. The girl was a godsend. Almost leaping out of his seat, Dean proceeded inelegantly out of the tense room.  
            “Please tell me a crime has been committed,” Dean implored John, as quietly as possible. Cas shot him an admonishing look as they followed the pair out the door.  
            “Other than Mori’s presence at an innocent family dinner?” Sherly grinned wolfishly and tightened the scarf around her neck.  
            “They’re anything but innocent,” Dean quipped, “Sorry Cas.” Castiel grunted noncommittally.  
            “Well, Sherly wanted to crash your dinner; I had to call Greg to get something else to distract her. His dad sent us a case, some petty crime that the police haven’t really bothered with. It piqued Sherly’s interest, though. Sounded like you guys needed some help,” John explained as they piled into his car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I have no idea how rich the Benditos would have to do. Bedecked in gold?? SERVING STAFF? Basically, they’re rich as sin. And like shiny things apparently. I’m trying to amp up the Destiel and Johnlock without making it progress in an unnatural way. We’ll see more Gabe. And Sam. And maybe Kali. If you’re wondering about Luci and Mori’s name. Welp. Luci F. R. And Mori’s middle name is going to be something R. I have it written down. But Mori R. Timmons. I felt clever, okay?
> 
> Edit: Okay, I can't figure out why there are two Notes. Near as I can tell, the second was supposed to go to the last chapter. So, I only just realized some of you may have been under the impression new stuff was coming soon. Er. No...There was...life. I'm in the process of writing it, I shall get it up as soon as possible. Thank you.

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure why fanfiction sites seem to be allergic to the tab button. Anyways, it's...four in the morning. I really need to start having a life. I will post the rest of this on AO3 tomorrow, if I can. If not, check it out on fanfiction until I can get it up. I shall post my other stories as well. Later. After sleep. Thank you for reading!


End file.
